Yemeni Court Jails 93 Republican Guard Soldiers

Associated Press|Dec 15, 2012|by Ahmed Al Haj

SANAA, Yemen - Yemen's military prosecutors say a military tribunal has sentenced 93 soldiers and officers of the elite Republican Guard to 3-7 years prison for resisting authorities and mutiny for trying to occupy the Defense Ministry in August.

A statement Saturday by the prosecution office said the accused took part in the attack by firing at the ministry's guards. The ensuing firefight left one attacker, two ministry guards and two civilians dead.

The convicted soldiers belong to Republican Guard units led by Ahmed Saleh, son of former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. They were protesting a decree issued by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi that put some of the force's units under presidential oversight.

The decree was part of Hadi's moves to restructure the army and purge it of former regime loyalists.